Shopping, Dining, and Cafés. Come along on this Photoblog with me as we explore the streets of Old Town Como.

Let’s start with a cup of coffee. The below was one of our favorite places. Small, intimate, friendly service, and delicious drinks. We visited this café several times.

Hunting in Como for kitchen goods would be extraordinarily fun. They have so many unique dishes and gadgets, not to mention how vibrant the colors are.

And then there’s the clothing. Being so close to the fashion capital of Milan can’t help but elevate the clothes shopping in the area. We enjoyed just window shopping.

Both fashionable and vintage.

Half the pleasure, however, were the buildings used for these stores. Gorgeous, aren’t they?

After enjoying quite a bit of window shopping and mandatory meandering through cobblestoned streets, we always take the time to try out new coffee places and restaurants. Here are a few last photos from this day.

The place below happened accidentally. We ducked into a different restaurant as it started to pour and examined the menu. It wasn’t quite what we were in the mood for. As we left this restaurant, reluctant to go back out into the rain, a man next door walked out of his restaurant with an umbrella and beckoned us in. He was warm, friendly, and jovial. We weren’t quite sure what to expect as he led us up a set of narrow dark stairs, but this is what greeted us.

It was very cozy and warm with soft, comfortable seats. But the highlight was the lake perspective! It was located directly in front of the lake with gorgeous views. I have to admit that I love a rainy day, especially when I am somewhere snug and warm. One of my favorite things is to watch rain or snow fall. Watching the skies open, the rain cascading down and pounding the surface of the lake, but feeling protected and sheltered, with warm food on the way made for a special memory that day.

Once we warmed up with a little coffee and hot chocolate, we perused the menu. Ever since we arrived into Italy, I had been craving a simple long, flat, broad pasta noodle (like Pappadelle or even Tagliatelle) with sausage and a creamy white sauce, but for some reason had not been able to find it on any menu. I described this to our waiter, who excitedly told me that even though it was not offered on the menu, he would talk to the chef. The chef said it would be no problem whatsoever, and here is what our sweet waiter brought out. It was delicious and exactly what I was looking for! I’m so glad we stumbled upon this place!

Ryan, of course, wanted to taste their pizza, which happened to be delicious too. The picture does nothing to describe how fresh the ingredients were, and how tasty the sauce was. This is definitely a spot we would like to return to the next time we are in Como!

Well, we finally came to the end of our meal and it was still pouring. Taxis, by the way, are very difficult to come by here in Como. They have to be summoned. If I haven’t already made it abundantly clear how sweet our waiter and the staff was here at this restaurant, let me say it one more time! The waiter, knowing it was raining and we had a long walk ahead, offered to call us a cab. We were so thankful. And so ended a very sweet day in Como!

For more information on our itineraries, feel free to email us at dtgainor@gmail.com or visit Global Getaways to learn more about who we are and how we work.